How to Land a Great Job With a “Useless” Degree

Education is never a waste of time. Every lesson – no matter how obscure – translates into further learning opportunities. Study help us to connect with the world in broader, deeper ways.

Even subjects that few people seem to care about anymore – Greek studies, philosophy, French , literature – retain their significance. They are underpinnings for our government, for our justice system, and for our capacity to appreciate modern culture and art.

How to land a great job in 2015?

1. Create a portfolio of job-search documents.

Want a way to distinguish yourself from the crowd of applicants? According to the Career Brainstorming Day pros, many job seekers are supplementing their résumés with:

collateral leadership briefs

blogs that establish their robust online professional identity

and, among senior-level managers, one-page executive summaries.

2. Consider hiring a coach to perfect your video interview skills.

More employers are relying on Skype for long-distance and initial screening interviews. As a result, more job seekers are using coaches to help them excel in video presentations.

3. Dive deep into LinkedIn.

Over the past few years, using LinkedIn to find work has gone from a good idea to essential. “Having a sharp LinkedIn profile may be even more important than having a great résumé,” Kursmark says.

To maximize the use of LinkedIn, engage more frequently with your LinkedIn networks. One of the best ways to do this is to actively take part in LinkedIn’s industry and interest groups.

4. Start your search sooner rather than later.

The hiring process has been growing longer, with more steps and delays between the time people apply for jobs and receive offers.

5.Use Twitter and other forms of social media to attract the attention of employers who are hiring.

According to the white paper, “employers will move from using external recruiters to an internal hiring process that will depend heavily on identifying prospective employees through their online presence and through referrals of existing employees.

Personal websites, social media presence, development of subject matter expertise and a well-defined personal brand will be the requirements for gaining the attention of prospective employers.”

6. Limit the amount of time you spend on job boards.

As Next Avenue has noted, job boards are one of the least effective ways to get hired. The Career Brainstorming Day experts said it’s generally only worth applying for a position through a job board if your résumé matches 80 to 85 percent of what an employer asks for in a posting.

Improve your chances to get a great job.

Target your job search and recognize what qualifications employers in general are seeking

Identify job-finding methods and use the Internet to assist you in your job search

Prepare an effective cover letter, job résumé, and follow-up letter

Identify types of employment tests and physical examinations an applicant is likely to take

Face the adversity sometimes found in a job search

Your chances of finding suitable employment are directly proportional to the number of positions that will satisfy your job objectives.

One person with a degree in information technology might be interested exclusively in working in the information systems division of a major corporation.

Another person with the same background is willing to work in the information technology field for a large company, a small company, a high-tech start-up, a government agency, or an educational institution.